Letter from the Editor: We like Central Ohio's vintage cool

Friday

Sep 30, 2016 at 12:01 AMOct 3, 2016 at 4:13 PM

Welcome to the September issue of Columbus Monthly Home & Garden!

Sherry Beck Paprocki

To get you in the mood for fall, I hope you're planning to join us at the Columbus Dispatch Home & Garden Show and Holiday Fest, Sept. 9-11, at the Ohio Expo Center. Those who organize the event promise plenty of great activities, including fun for the children. Certainly, if you are dreaming of a renovation, you'll want to visit with vendors who are available to answer questions and discuss your projects. Read more about the show in the special section that starts on page 58 of this magazine.

September is a busy show month. House aficionados won't want to miss NARI's annual Home Improvement Tour, Sept. 24-25, featuring 15 remodeled homes around Central Ohio. See the list of projects in the NARI section that starts on page 51.

As I wrapped up the editing on this issue, we were at the end of a hot and humid summer. It was one of those seasons that reminded me how much I love old houses. Their cool, musty smells and their large, drafty rooms provide refuge from languid days in the sun.

Such was the case when I walked into the Granville home highlighted in a feature on page 24. I met local builder Andrew Hale in the vintage house that he had practically rebuilt for Denison University trustee Jeremy Flug. At first skeptical of the proposal from a Denver architect that we feature this house, it turns out I had stumbled into a fabulous story of three men who all have a passion for modernizing vintage properties. Flug insists there is no economic benefit to this project and after visiting the space, I tend to agree. Fixing old homes involves resources and grit.

The modernization of this home is astonishing. These projects are simply not as easy-or as inexpensive-as reality shows would suggest. After reading this story, I think that you'll agree: Building a new house may have been easier.

Within this issue, you'll find other surprises, too. There's an amazing penthouse created on the 18th floor of Condominiums at North Bank, a unique home out in New Albany owned by a commercial builder, beautiful gardens, an elaborate backyard in Tartan Fields, interesting kitchens and more. We have many homeowners to thank-without their cooperation, we would not be showing their private spaces.

One of the jobs I save for the end of each issue involves looking at products and gathering them together so that our staff photographers can give you a glimpse of what's permeating the market for the season. The idea for the "Fire and Furry" style on page 14 came out of a hot afternoon of shopping around the local stores. Indeed, I purchased the furry throw at Pottery Barn when it was 95 degrees outside. (You'll definitely need one for chilly days this fall.)

Thanks for joining us on this tour of some of Central Ohio's most delightful properties.